Treatment outcomes of gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel in pancreatic cancer patients with malignant ascites.

BACKGROUND: Gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (GnP) therapy has been shown to improve the prognosis in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (PC); however, the efficacy and safety of GnP in PC patients with malignant ascites (MA) remains unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated PC patients with peritoneal dissemination who had received GnP as first-line chemotherapy at our institution between March 2015 and August 2021. The following patient data were reviewed: patient characteristics, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), adverse events (AEs), and relative dose intensity (RDI). The severity of MA was categorized based on the CT findings as grade 1 (small), grade 2 (moderate), or grade 3 (massive). RESULTS: A total of 189 patients were included; the study endpoints were compared between patients with each ascites grade and 41 patients without MA. The MA was classified as grade 1 in 85 patients, grade 2 in 41 patients, and grade 3 in 22 patients. In the patients with MA, the median OS, PFS and ORR were 11.2 months, 5.7 months and 24.3%, respectively. The OS and PFS decreased with increasing the severity of MA; in particular, patients with grade 2 and 3 showed a poorer prognosis. There were no differences in AEs, except for anorexia, or the RDI according to the severity of MA. CONCLUSION: GnP showed moderate efficacy with manageable safety profile in PC patients with MA. However, PC patients with moderate to massive ascites still have a dismal prognosis, and further development of effective treatments is needed.

Predictive Factors for Recovery from Alcoholic Liver Failure.

Alcoholic liver disease is a risk factor for non-virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is increasing in prevalence. This study aimed to identify the factors for recovery from alcoholic liver failure. Sixty-two consecutive patients hospitalized for alcoholic liver failure at Okayama City Hospital were enrolled. The characteristics of patients who survived to the 1-month follow-up and whose liver function improved to Child-Pugh A at 3 months (CPA3) and 12 months (CPA12) were compared with the rest of the patients. The survivors at 1 month (50 patients) were significantly younger than the deceased patients and had better liver and renal function with higher levels of γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT). The same factors, except renal function, were correlated with achieving CPA3. High AST, ALT, and GGT levels as well as short spleen length, total abstinence, and good Child-Pugh scores at admission were identified as factors for achieving CPA12. The extent of alcohol intake before admission was not identified as a risk factor in any analysis. In conclusion, baseline liver function is crucial for survival and achieving CPA3, whereas high transaminase and γ-GTP levels, the absence of splenomegaly, and total abstinence are significant factors for achieving CPA12.

Abnormal fucosylation of alpha-fetoprotein in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

AIM: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a risk factor for nonvirus-related hepatocellular carcinoma, which is increasing in prevalence. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical application of fucosylated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP-L3) in the process of nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) disease development. METHODS: Serum samples from 115 diabetes mellitus (DM), 36 NAFL, and 119 NASH patients were analyzed for AFP-L3 expression using raw data of a micro total analysis system. These data were then compared with the clinical characteristics of the patients. A validation study was also undertaken with 55 samples (17 NAFL and 38 NASH). RESULTS: Trace amounts of AFP-L3 were detected in 3.5%, 16.7%, and 58.0% of patients with DM, NAFL, and NASH, respectively. The odds ratio of AFP-L3 positivity for the diagnosis of NASH in multivariate analysis was 9.81 (95% confidence interval, 3.77-25.5). The rates in patients without fibrosis or with stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and stage 4 fibrosis were 14.7%, 31.3%, 63.0%, 86.2%, and 100%, respectively. The rates were significantly increased according to the advancement of liver fibrosis (p < 0.001); however, no difference in the positive rate of AFP-L3 was observed between patients with and without fatty livers and between patients with normal and abnormal transaminase. The same relationship was also observed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: Abnormal fucosylation of AFP occurred in patients with NASH, so it could be useful for the screening of NASH in patients with DM, as well as for the differential diagnosis of NASH and the evaluation of fibrosis.

Covered self-expandable metallic stent placement for tumor bleeding from duodenal invasion in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer often present with duodenal bleeding, a potentially life-threatening complication. In our case series of six unresectable pancreatic cancer patients with tumor bleeding, we explored the efficacy and safety of placement of a covered self-expandable metallic stent in the duodenum as a treatment option; we achieved a hemostasis rate of 67% (4/6), with a rebleeding rate of 50% (2/4). No complications occurred with stent placement, except for food impaction in one patient. Covered self-expandable metallic stent placement is a moderately effective treatment option for tumor bleeding in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer. Although its hemostatic efficacy is limited, covered self-expandable metallic stent placement is safe and beneficial in some cases, warranting consideration in this disease setting with limited treatment options.

Palliative radiotherapy for tumor bleeding in patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer (PC) sometimes experience gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) due to tumor invasion of the gastrointestinal tract (tumor bleeding); no standard treatment has been established yet for this complication. Palliative radiotherapy (PRT) could be promising, however, there are few reports of PRT for tumor bleeding in patients with unresectable PC. Therefore, we evaluated the outcomes of PRT for tumor bleeding in patients with unresectable PC. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients with unresectable PC diagnosed at our institution between May 2013 and January 2022, and identified patients with endoscopically confirmed tumor bleeding who had received PRT. PRT was administered at a total dose of 30 Grays (Gy) in 10 fractions, 20 Gy in 5 fractions, or 8 Gy in a single fraction, and the dose selection was left to the discretion of the attending radiation oncologists. RESULTS: During the study period, 2562 patients were diagnosed as having unresectable PC at our hospital, of which 225 (8.8%) developed GIB. Among the 225 patients, 63 (2.5%) were diagnosed as having tumor bleeding and 20 (0.8%) received PRT. Hemostasis was achieved in 14 of the 20 patients (70%) who received PRT, and none of these patients developed grade 3 or more adverse events related to the PRT. The median time to hemostasis was 8.5 days (range 7-14 days). The rebleeding rate was 21.4% (3/14). The median hemoglobin level increased significantly (p < 0.001) from 5.9 to 9.1 g/dL, and the median volume of red blood cell transfusion tended (p = 0.052) to decrease, from 1120 mL (range 280-3360 mL) to 280 mL (range 0-5560 mL) following the PRT. The median overall survival (OS) was 52 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 39-317). Of the 14 patients in whom hemostasis was achieved following PRT, chemotherapy could be started/resumed in seven patients (50%), and the median OS in these patients was 260 days (95% CI 76-not evaluable [NE]). Three patients experienced rebleeding (21.4%), on days 16, 22, and 25, after the start of PRT. CONCLUSION: This study showed that PRT is an effective and safe treatment modality for tumor bleeding in patients with unresectable PC.

Hyperammonemic encephalopathy in a patient receiving fluorouracil/oxaliplatin chemotherapy.

Hyperammonemia is a rare adverse effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy, but can be very serious, even fatal. Physicians must be aware that hyperammonemic encephalopathy sometimes develops as an adverse event after 5-FU therapy.